The Utah Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PWHA) has nominated Clayton Keller as their nominee for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
After a massive personal loss early in the season, Keller has gone on to persevere through grief and sadness to once again become one of the Utah Mammoth’s top scorers. His play and accolades throughout the season have shown how good a player he is, despite the challenges and losses he’s faced, making him a true candidate for the Masterton Trophy.
Playing Through Tragedy and Loss
Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day of celebrating family. When you think of the holiday, you usually think of a big family eating with each other and enjoying each other’s company.
For the tight-knit Keller family, this past Thanksgiving was one of loss. It was announced that Bryan Keller, Clayton’s dad, had unexpectedly passed away that day. Just like a lot of the team’s family, Bryan was a big part of his son’s life and was also close with some of the players in the locker room. Bryan often bragged about how proud he was of his son.
The Mammoth were in Dallas that day, set to play the Dallas Stars. No one would blame Keller if he wanted to sit out that day or even for the foreseeable future. Yet, the captain of the Mammoth told the team he wanted to play.
“He loves his teammates so much, and his teammates love him so much, and he drives our passion and our competitiveness every night,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He’s a kind of guy who wants to be better every night, and cannot. We cannot have a better example as a captain.”
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Keller registered five shots on net and played his usual amount of ice time. The Stars ended up naming him the first star of the game in their part to pay respect to the forward.
The story got even more emotional when the Mammoth traveled to St. Louis the next day, Keller’s hometown. A place where he built so many memories around the rink with his dad. The St. Louis Blues paid tribute to Bryan right before the game, honoring the man who had taken his son to so many games inside that very arena. Yet, despite the emotions, Keller once again chose to play against the Blues.
Hockey culture 🩵
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 30, 2025
Heartwarming gesture from the @StLouisBlues honoring Clayton’s father, Bryan Keller, tonight with a moment of silence. pic.twitter.com/87qjDLqNmX
Keller put up four shots on goal, the most out of anyone on the Mammoth. Once again, he played around 20 minutes and looked like one of the best players on the ice. Keller credited his family and teammates for helping him play through the back-to-back games.
“It was definitely a tough couple of days, but I couldn’t have done it without my family, my teammates,” Keller said. “They had my back always. I care for them more than anything.”
His teammates couldn’t be more supportive. After years upon years of helping lead teams in Arizona and in Utah, his teammates wanted nothing more than to support him. Lawson Crouse, who has been on Keller’s side ever since he came into the league, praised his captain’s leadership even on one of the worst days in his life.
“It’s been an emotional 24 hours,” Crouse said. “Thoughts and prayers go out to his mom and his brother. He’s done an incredible job leading us and guiding us. I’ve been with him for 10-plus years now, and it’s really our turn to support him. It’s hard news, and we’re all trying to deal with it in the best way that we can, and trying to be there for him and support him and give him the love and the friendship that he needs.”
Despite the loss, Keller has continued to play up to his elite standards. He now has 80 points in 77 games, which leads the team. He also leads the Mammoth in game-winning goals with six and is tied for second in the whole NHL in overtime goals with four, fresh off scoring one on Tuesday in a big game against the Edmonton Oilers.
CAP CALLED GAME. pic.twitter.com/ZlWovuvrP2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 8, 2026
Keller has also captained the Mammoth to a spot where they will undoubtedly clinch their first playoff spot in franchise history in only the franchise’s second season. It will be the first time since the 2019-20 season that Keller, along with some of the former Arizona Coyotes players, will play in the postseason.
On top of that, Keller achieved a lifelong dream in January, being named to Team USA’s Olympic roster. He was snubbed last season from Team USA’s Four Nations roster. Instead of letting that omission define him, Keller continued working hard, eventually being named captain of Team USA at the World Championship and guiding the team to its first championship in the tournament in 92 years.
Keller once again helped Team USA end a long championship drought in February as he and his country won gold at the Olympics for the first time since 1980.
There simply isn’t a better choice for the Mammoth’s Masterton nominee than Keller. Losing a parent is tough for most people. However, Keller persevered through that pain and continued his focus and commitment to his team, his play, and winning, a true embodiment of what the Masterton Trophy represents.
“Clayton is certainly deserving of this Masterton Trophy nomination,” said general manager Bill Armstrong. “Clayton persevered through one of the hardest life events a man can encounter with tremendous leadership, perseverance, and resilience. It’s just one of many examples of why Clayton is an exemplary captain and the entire organization is extremely proud of everything he’s accomplished this season.”
The Masterton Trophy is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries sustained during a game. Each season, all 32 chapters of the PWHA nominate a player from their team. Through two rounds of voting, a winner is decided. Last season, the Mammoth’s nominee was Mikhail Sergachev. The eventual winner was Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Sean Monahan.
